Chapter 237: Xuezha Town, Visiting the Home of the Big Milk Can!

After skillfully temporarily resolving the somewhat farcical conflict between the Serperior and the Moltres, Luo Mu brought the Serperior all the way to the pasture area, where he happened upon two Skiddo slowly chewing on pasture grass.

The two Deerling were nowhere to be seen; Luo Mu guessed they might have run off to the farming area to find Morelull and Bai Bai Pengpeng.

As fellow Grass-type Pokémon, only through mutual exchange could they make progress; Luo Mu had also heard that the Deerling intended to learn Grassy Terrain to alleviate pressure for Morelull and the others, holding the idea of taking sole responsibility for the pasture grass cultivation work in the pasture area.

They seemed to feel that constantly eating and drinking for free was not quite right; even though Luo Mu did not mind, they still wanted to try their best to reduce the burden on their other partners within the scope of their abilities.

Noticing Luo Mu's arrival, the two Skiddo were obviously quite happy; they quickly ran to Luo Mu's legs and affectionately rubbed their heads against his trouser legs.

The Serperior did not react much to this; it was not stupid either—if it had to get jealous every time someone got close to Luo Mu, wouldn't it die from jealousy?

The Skiddo cautiously glanced at the Serperior; although they knew it would not make a move, their instincts warned them to stay as far away from the Serperior as possible, for it was a top-tier predator.

Vines deftly placed the tools Luo Mu had brought onto the grass; the Serperior calmly moved to the other side, leaving enough space for Luo Mu and the Skiddo.

Naturally, the Serperior had noticed the Skiddo's reactions.

For the Skiddo, it was a threatening presence; merely approaching could make them uneasy, and under such conditions, the quality of the goat milk produced by the Skiddo would surely be affected.

As a helpless measure, it could only temporarily leave enough safe distance for the Skiddo, waiting for them to slowly adapt.

Compared to the naturally sociable and lively Nacli, these two Skiddo were, after all, a bit more timid.

"Good boys, it seems you have adapted very well to the environment here; seeing these tools I brought, you should know what I need from you, right?" Luo Mu smiled, stroking the Skiddo's heads, his voice gentle.

"Baa~~"

The two Skiddo nodded lightly, knowing that Luo Mu intended to milk them.

In fact, they were already adult Skiddo; although they had not yet evolved, the work of producing milk had been experienced many times back at the Eli Ranch.

"Then, shall I begin?"

Seeing that the Skiddo showed no signs of resistance, Luo Mu squatted down, took the milking tools, and fitted them onto the milk-producing organs of one Skiddo; because the memories from that night were still lingering in his mind, coupled with his intentional study of the milking process over the past few days, the entire procedure was not exactly clumsy or flustered.

Carefully squeezing once, imitating the technique from the book, goat milk with a slightly fishy yet sweet aroma fell into the bucket; at first, Luo Mu's technique carried a hint of unfamiliarity, but as time passed and he continued milking, his movements became increasingly skilled.

After a while, all the milk currently stored in the two Skiddo was completely milked out by him; unfortunately, it only filled less than half of the bucket Luo Mu had brought, the yield being surprisingly low, probably around ten jin or so.

However, once the Skiddo evolved and grew, the yield of goat milk should increase, so the problem was not very significant.

With only ten jin of goat milk, it was not even enough to distribute among the Pokémon on the farm; it seemed there was no need to consider sales channels for now, and they could discuss expanding production later.

"Baa baa~~"

After the milking was finished, the two Skiddo visibly became more lively; they leaped across the grass with agile and light steps, appearing very happy.

Luo Mu actually knew some of the reasons behind the Skiddo's reaction.

As everyone knows, if too much milk accumulates in the milk-producing organs, a reaction called "engorgement" may occur, which makes the Skiddo feel very uncomfortable; in severe cases, it can even cause pain.

After milking, because their bodies felt lighter, the Skiddo naturally felt happy.

This was probably one of the reasons why Skiddo and Skiptank had lived alongside humans since ancient times.

After feeding the Skiddo some nutrient-supplementing grass "steaks," Luo Mu and the Serperior took the tools back to the warehouse to put them away properly, then returned to the kitchen to set down the half-bucket of goat milk.

After doing all this, Luo Mu poked the Serperior, telling it to take this opportunity to help Moltres reinforce the birdhouse.

The Serperior, who had originally wanted to delay a bit longer to mentally prepare itself, could only slowly crawl toward the roof under Luo Mu's ear-piercing nagging.

After sending the Serperior off, Luo Mu also stretched his waist.

He needed to go out tomorrow, so tonight he would make something delicious to treat his taste buds; he could just use the goat milk produced by the Skiddo, which would surely help them quickly build good relationships with the other Pokémon.

Time passed amidst such daily trivialities until the next day arrived.

April 8th, Monday morning.

Oranguru woke Luo Mu up right on time; Luo Mu, who had originally wanted to lie in bed a while longer, was pointed at by Oranguru's fan and could only obediently get up to change clothes and wash.

He did not want to experience having his body controlled by Oranguru's psychic power, washing and dressing like a marionette; that would be slightly socially embarrassing.

By the time Luo Mu finished washing, Mimikyu was still sound asleep; thinking it over, Luo Mu decided not to wake it, instead gently pulling the blanket up a bit higher for it.

The Serperior had already run off to the farming area; as Luo Mu expected, Moltres simply could not be bothered to say much—for it, the Serperior's willingness to take the initiative in showing goodwill was naturally a good thing.

Although Moltres had a type advantage over the Serperior, if they really fought, it would still be easy to overturn the situation; having fewer troubles was better than anything.

It only wanted to live a peaceful life on the farm, watching its big son, Feng Su Gou, become more excellent day by day.

On the Serperior's side, it also felt that since Moltres had sensibly stopped provoking, it ought to be magnanimous and stop troubling Moltres; otherwise, it would be the one being unreasonable.

Upon learning the news that the two Pokémon had made up, Luxray immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Great, now there was no need to resort to the final method of electric therapy.

Just as Luxray felt relieved, a sudden chill rose up the backs of the Serperior and Moltres, making them feel very strange.

After finishing his wash, Luo Mu went straight to the Thunder Lake area to find Dragonite; after all, the distance from Xuezha Town to Pingdie Town was quite far, and for travel over such a distance, Dragonite's speed would be faster and more convenient than taking transportation.

Just as Luo Mu arrived at Thunder Lake, he happened to see two Dragonite clashing with Dragon Claw; although the sharpness of the Dragon Claws, composed of Dragon-type energy, was sufficient to cut through steel, the Dragonite Leader could only leave a trail of sparks on the other Dragonite's body.

The Dragonite sparring with the Dragonite Leader was naturally its mother; after this period of farm life and under the careful care of the Hakamo-o and others, the Dragonite Leader had gradually adapted to the environment here.

Except for that "she" who existed beside it, the Dragonite Leader had no major problems when moving around; one only needed to pay attention to not letting it recall painful memories.

The current Dragonite Leader could even spar a few rounds with Dragonite, though it was merely able to spar.

Luo Mu saw at a glance that Dragonite was holding back; with its strength, it could have directly slapped the Dragonite Leader away, making it impossible for it to still be hit by the Dragonite Leader's Dragon Claw.

However, even if hit, the "Multiscale" on Dragonite's body surface was sufficient to defend against most attacks lacking in power.

Luo Mu remembered that a certain Sea God, Lugia, also had the hidden ability Multiscale, and since only Dragonite and Lugia possessed this ability, coupled with Dragonite's frequent appearance at sea setting, it was hard not to wonder if there was some intricate connection between the two Pokémon.

"Booo~!"

Sensing Luo Mu's arrival, Dragonite easily blocked the Dragonite Leader's attack, turned its head to look at him, and let out a happy cry.

Dragonite knew it was time to go out now.

It very much liked this feeling of being needed; after whispering a few words to the Dragonite Leader and the Hakamo-o beside it, Dragonite flew to Luo Mu's side and directly reached out to hold Luo Mu in its arms.

"Booo~ Booo~"

While making cute cooing sounds, Dragonite's whole body bubbled with pink hearts; for Dragonite, hugging was a way to express love, and for any object of its affection, Dragonite liked to give them a hug.

After absorbing enough Trainer energy, Dragonite looked left and right; not seeing the figure of Cangyan Cangyan Rengui, it tilted its head in some confusion.

"Is Cang Yan Ren Gui not coming?"

"Hearing from the Luxray and the others, it was in Xuezha Town that Luo Mu encountered Cang Yan Ren Gui when it was still a Charcadet, and there he also obtained the item needed for Charcadet's evolution—the Malicious Armor."

Perceiving Dragonite's confusion, Luo Mu picked up a Poké Ball, flicked his wrist, and smiled, "It is already inside the Poké Ball; now, with only you missing, we can depart immediately for Xuezha Town."

Dragonite tilted its head again, pointing a finger at Luo Mu's back: "Boo-wu?"

What about luggage? Are you bringing nothing at all?

"It was planned from the start to go and return on the same day; barring any unexpected incidents, we should be back home by evening."

Luo Mu rubbed Dragonite's comfortably textured belly, revealing a smile filled with healing warmth.

With Luxray guarding the farm and Oranguru able to handle tasks requiring human interaction for him, there was no need to make a huge fuss preparing this and that like before when going out, which made Luo Mu feel much more relaxed.

Nodding in understanding, Dragonite turned around to face Luo Mu, inviting him to climb onto its back.

Having ridden Dragonite countless times before, Luo Mu skillfully flipped himself onto its back; Dragonite spread its wings, the wind roaring around them, and within a few breaths, they were already high in the sky.

Looking at the navigation on his phone, Luo Mu reached out to guide Dragonite's direction: "Fly over there."

Dragonite immediately let out a high-spirated dragon roar and accelerated its flight; below, the Pokémon on the farm all looked up, aware that Luo Mu had now departed the farm riding Dragonite.

Oranguru stood on the third-floor balcony, gazing up at the sky, its fan waving gently in its hand, its expression somewhat worried.

It had heard the story of Cang Yan Ren Gui from Luxray and also learned of Cang Yan Ren Gui's past of being abandoned.

It remembered... Luxray said that the fellow who abandoned Cang Yan Ren Gui seemed to still be in Xuezha Town, right?

Let's hope no unexpected incidents occur.

Xuezha Town is located in the eastern part of the Paldea region; it is a small town where people make their living by mining minerals, and the work undertaken by its residents is, to varying degrees, related to mining.

The miners rise at sunrise to work and rest at sunset; they are a group accustomed to hard labor, and such people can often be seen on the streets of Xuezha Town.

To be honest, Luo Mu could not understand why a person named Hanze would establish the Miltank House here; surrounding Xuezha Town were almost nothing but bare rocky mountains and mine tunnels, while places with dense vegetation were all out in the wild, and a little further beyond lay the mysterious Paldea Crater.

Raising Miltank here, a Pokémon picky about its growth environment, was purely adding difficulty to oneself.

But when Luo Mu actually arrived at the ranch bearing the sign "Miltank House," he had to admit that this Hanze perhaps truly had some skill.

The Miltank Ranch, like Luo Mu's farm, was situated in the suburbs surrounding Xuezha Town, with several active mine tunnels nearby through which workers often passed.

When Luo Mu arrived, a group of people wearing hard hats and covered in dust from their clothes were gathering outside the gate of Miltank House.

Clearly, these people were all workers from the nearby mine tunnels.

The workers queued in an orderly fashion before Miltank House, without noise or cutting in line; everyone seemed to have agreed upon it beforehand.

Luo Mu peered forward and discovered that at the front of the queue stood a long table, where a young man of about twenty-five years old and several Miltank were busy taking banknotes from the workers' hands and handing them bottles of milk in return.

"Is this... Tapu Tapu Moumou Milk?"

Luo Mu's gaze fell upon a handwritten notice board on the long table, which stated the selling price of Tapu Tapu Moumou Milk—five hundred and fifty League Coins.

Luo Mu immediately understood.

Tapu Tapu Moumou Milk was actually priced at this amount; no wonder so many workers were queuing here to buy it; they performed physical labor, and Tapu Tapu Moumou Milk could effectively replenish nutrients, making their bodies strong and healthy.

The selling price of Tapu Tapu Moumou Milk at Miltank House was a full fifty League Coins lower than the market price; if the quality was also decent, it would indeed attract these workers who tried their best to save on expenses.

Luo Mu simply watched from the side as the queue steadily diminished, waiting until the young man placed up a "Sold Out" sign and the miners departed before stepping forward.

"I'm sorry, today's Tapu Tapu Moumou Milk is already sold out; please come early tomorrow," Hanze said, patiently persuading as he tidied the items on the long table, mistaking Luo Mu for someone who had arrived late and was unwilling to give up, hoping to try his luck.

"I am not here to purchase Tapu Tapu Moumou Milk, Mr. Hanze; Sebastian should have already scheduled a time with you today, and I am here for that."

As soon as Luo Mu finished speaking, Hanze suddenly lifted his head, sized him up, and then smiled lightly, "So you are Luo Mu, right? Miltank, please take him inside first."

"Mi-ru~"

The Miltank beside Hanze, the most dexterous in its work, responded with a sound, then turned its gaze toward Luo Mu, signaling with its eyes for him to follow.

Seeming to think Luo Mu was somewhat hesitant, Hanze flashed a smile of white teeth and said, "Please go with it; this child is the family butler, and it will take good care of you."

Luo Mu was merely slightly surprised because Hanze's attitude toward Pokémon was somewhat similar to his own, but there was no need to explain such a trivial matter; after nodding, he followed the Miltank into Miltank House.

Upon entering, the sight that greeted them was a living room decorated with extreme warmth; Miltank-themed cushions, carpets, and hanging paintings were everywhere, showing that Hanze must truly love Miltank.

Sitting on the sofa, Luo Mu curiously surveyed the surrounding environment.

At this moment, the Miltank that had led the way returned, carrying a bottle of freshly heated Tapu Tapu Moumou Milk still steaming, placed it before Luo Mu, and set it down.

"Mi-ru~" (Please enjoy~)

Luo Mu did not decline; coincidentally, he was also somewhat curious about the taste of the Tapu Tapu Moumou Milk here.

Generally speaking, Tapu Tapu Moumou Milk sold cheaply mostly had certain defects; after all, the better the quality of Tapu Tapu Moumou Milk, the higher the price would be, unless Hanze was doing charity work, willing to reduce profits just to sell at a low price.

Luo Mu's intuition told him it was most likely the latter case.

Picking up the glass bottle that felt warm to the touch, Luo Mu took a light sip of the Tapu Tapu Moumou Milk at a moderate temperature; the instant the liquid touched his tongue tip, a rich and sweet flavor immediately burst forth on his taste buds, while a smooth texture glided across his tongue.

His impression could be summed up in only the two simplest words—Delicious!

Luo Mu's pupils brightened; as expected of a Miltank Ranch originating from the Johto region, the quality of this Tapu Tapu Moumou Milk was much better than what was available on the market!

(End of Chapter)